This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-336901, filed Nov. 6, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for assembling a contactor for use in testing electric properties of an object to be tested.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor apparatus, electric properties of the semiconductor apparatus are tested a number of times. For example, in a stage of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cwaferxe2x80x9d), a probe apparatus is used to perform a probe test. When the probe test is performed, contactors contact electrode pads of an integrated circuit (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cdevicexe2x80x9d) formed on the wafer. Hand in hand with the ultrahigh integration, and enlargement of wafers, go the lengthening of the test time. As a result, the cost of testing the wafers tends to keep rising. In order to shorten the test time, the number of devices to be tested at the same time can be increased. Various multiplexed contactors have therefore been developed.
A probing section usually has a contactor section having probes for contacting the electrode pads of the device, and an interface section which serves as an interface between the contactor section and a tester. The contactor section is formed by a disc-shaped wiring substrate, for example, with a large number of probes formed on the surface thereof. The interface section, for connecting the contactor section to the tester, is formed of a substrate.
During preparation of the probing section, generally the contactor section is formed separately from the interface section. Therefore, it is necessary to electrically connect these sections to each other. As a conventional connection system, an interface system is employed in which connection members such as an elastomer and spring pin are utilized.
For an assembly price of the probing section by a conventional interface system, the price of the connection member is added to that of the contactor. Therefore, reduction of the price of the contactor, and reduction of the test cost are inhibited. Moreover, since a wiring of the connection member is added to a transmission line, the transmission line is lengthened. Therefore, as transmission signals are attenuated, it becomes difficult to match the line impedance, which limits the signal transmission speed. In a Rambus memory, in order to satisfy the demand that the delay caused by the wiring length is to be suppressed below ten picoseconds, it is necessary to suppress a line length difference within 1 mm even with use of an impedance matching line.
On the other hand, a contactor for multiplexing is prepared with one tile at present. Therefore, the relative precision of each component in the tile does not raise a problem. However, along with the progress in high integration, multiplexing, and enlargement of tile size in the future, the thermal expansion of the tile, manufacturing cost, ease of maintenance, and the like will all raise problems. Concurrently, the number of probes also increases. It only takes one defective probe of a device to render the whole unit defective, which thus reduces overall productivity.
The present invention has been developed to solve at least one of the above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide an assembly apparatus and method in which a contactor can be assembled with high precision in order to cope with the progress of multiplexing. Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly apparatus and method in which the contactor can be efficiently assembled. A further object of the present invention is to provide an assembly apparatus and method in which the contactor can be produced at a low cost.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an assembly apparatus of a contactor comprising a unit contactor and a base substrate, for use in testing the electric properties of an object to be tested, the apparatus comprising: a laying mechanism configured to lay a substrate for alignment; a first conveying mechanism configured to convey a plurality of unit contactors to the substrate for alignment laid on the laying mechanism; a second conveying mechanism configured to convey a base substrate; a holding mechanism configured to hold the base substrate; a positioning mechanism configured to position the substrate for alignment with the plurality of unit contactors disposed thereon and the base substrate; a contact mechanism configured to bring the plurality of unit contactors disposed on the substrate for alignment into contact with the base substrate. Preferably the assembly apparatus of the contactor further comprises a connecting mechanism configured to electrically connect the plurality of unit contactors disposed on the substrate for alignment to the base substrate.
Preferably in the assembly apparatus, the contact mechanism further comprises a pressing mechanism configured to bring the plurality of unit contactors into contact with the base substrate in an elastic manner.
The connecting mechanism of the assembly apparatus preferably heats the unit contactors and base substrate by a heating mechanism disposed in at least one of the laying mechanism and the pressing mechanism to electrically connect the unit contactors and base substrate to each other.
The assembly apparatus preferably further comprises a third conveying mechanism for conveying the substrate for alignment.
The substrate for alignment of the assembly apparatus preferably has grooves for containing probes of the unit contactors.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of assembling a contactor for use in testing electric properties of an object to be tested from unit contactors and a base substrate, the method comprising steps of: positioning the unit contactor with respect to a substrate for alignment; disposing the positioned unit contactor in a predetermined position of the substrate for alignment; repeating the positioning and disposing steps to dispose a predetermined number of unit contactors on the substrate for alignment; positioning the substrate for alignment and a base substrate; disposing the substrate for alignment in the vicinity of the base substrate, and bringing the plurality of unit contactors disposed on the substrate for alignment into contact with the base substrate; and fixing the plurality of unit contactors disposed on the substrate for alignment to the base substrate.
In the assembly method, bringing the plurality of unit contactors disposed on the substrate for alignment into contact with the base substrate preferably comprises bringing the substrate for alignment into contact with the base substrate by an elastic force via pressing means.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a contactor comprising:
a base substrate, the base substrate comprising:
an electrically insulating first substrate, the first substrate having a first surface and a second surface;
at least one first connection pad formed on a first surface of the first substrate;
at least one electrode for external connection formed on a second surface of the first substrate; and
a wiring configured to connect each first connection pad to each electrode for external connection;
a unit contactor, the unit contactor comprising:
an electrically insulating second substrate, the second substrate having a first surface and a second surface;
at least one connection pad formed on the first surface of the second substrate;
at least one probe formed on the second surface of the second substrate; and
a wiring configured to electrically connect each connection pad to each probe; and
an attaching mechanism configured to fix a plurality of unit contactors onto the first surface of the base substrate.
The attaching mechanism of the contactor preferably comprises a mechanism configured to electrically connect and fix each second connection pad of each unit contactor to each connection pad of the base substrate.
The attaching mechanism of the contactor preferably comprises a mechanism configured to electrically connect and fix each second connection pad of each unit contactor to each connection pad of the base substrate via at least one of a solder and a wax.
A main material of the solder of the contactor is preferably gold.
The plurality of probes of the contactor are preferably of a cantilever type.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate for alignment having a first surface, which can be used to manufacture a contactor comprising a unit contactor. The substrate for alignment comprises: a plurality of convex portions formed on the first surface; a plurality of concave portions formed among the plurality of convex portions; and a plurality of grooves formed in the concave portions.
Here, the unit contactor comprises at least one probe. The convex portions support each unit contactor, and the grooves contain a tip end of the probe of each unit contactor.
The substrate for alignment is preferably mainly manufactured of silicon.
The probes of the substrate for alignment are preferably of a cantilever type.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a contactor which uses a substrate for alignment, the method comprising steps of:
disposing a predetermined number of unit contactors on the substrate for alignment;
positioning the substrate for alignment and a base substrate;
bringing the plurality of unit contactors disposed on the substrate for alignment into contact with the base substrate; and
heating at least one of the substrate for alignment and the base substrate, and fixing the unit contactors to the base substrate.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an assembly apparatus which can be used to assemble a contactor, the apparatus comprising:
means for laying a base substrate;
means for positioning the substrate for alignment with a unit contactor disposed thereon and the base substrate; and
means for disposing the substrate for alignment in the vicinity of the base substrate, and attaching the unit contactor disposed on the substrate for alignment to a predetermined position of the base substrate.
In the assembly apparatus, the attaching means preferably comprises:
means for bringing the unit contactor disposed on the substrate for alignment into contact with the base substrate; and
heating means for heating at least one of the substrate for alignment and the base substrate, and fixing a plurality of unit contactors to the base substrate.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.